Methods and systems to facilitate searching a data resource

• US 20060224571A1
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Leon, Jean-Michel, Gino Monier, Louis Marcel, Baird-Smith, Anselm Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/241,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224571A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Methods and systems to facilitate searching a data resource. According to one aspect the system facilitates a search of a data resource utilized by sellers and buyers that transact items in a network-based marketplace. According to a second aspect the system generates a query to search a data resource utilized by a seller and a buyer that transact items in a network-based marketplace.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate searching a data resource utilized by sellers and buyers that transact items in a network-based marketplace, the method including:

receiving information, from a seller, that is associated with an item;

evaluating the information in real time with a rule that includes an expression and supplemental information;

if the expression evaluates true, supplementing the information with the supplemental information; and

storing the information and the supplemental information in the data resource, the evaluating, supplementing and storing performed in real time to facilitate a search of the information and the supplemental information in real time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating the information includes evaluating at least one from a group including a title, a description, a listing category, an item specific, a price, a selling format, a selling duration, an auction duration, a payment method, shipping information, an item location, and buyer requirements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selling format includes any one of a group of formats including a fixed-price format and an auction format.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the item specific describes the condition of the item.

5. The method of claim 2, further including adding catalog information to the information responsive to searching the information and identifying at least one from a group of information including an USBN number, a Universal Product Number, a Universal Product Code and a proper noun.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein supplementing the information includes determining at least one domain to register to the information, wherein the domain includes any one from a group including a product type and a service type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule is selected from a group of rules including classification rules and inference rules.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the classification rule is utilized to associate a concept to the information to facilitate a search by a buyer.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the inference rule is utilized to infer a concept that is associated to the information to facilitate a search by the buyer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information includes a concept-value pair that includes a concept and a value, the concept associated with a plurality of values that include the value.

11. The method of claim 1, further including evaluating classification information associated to the information to infer inference information.

12. A system to facilitate a search of a data resource utilized by sellers and buyers that transact items in a network-based marketplace, the system including:

a receiving module to receive, from a seller, information that is associated with an item;

a rule application module to evaluate the information with a rule that includes an expression and supplemental information that is utilized to supplement the information if the expression evaluates true; and

a processing module to store the information and the supplemental information, the evaluating, supplementing, and storing performed in real time to facilitate a search of the information and the supplemental information in real time.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the evaluating the information includes evaluating at least one from a group including a title, a description, a listing category, an item specific, a price, a selling format, a selling duration, an auction duration, a payment method, shipping information, an item location, and buyer requirements.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the selling format includes any one of a group of formats including a fixed-price format and an auction format.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the item specific describes a condition of the item.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiving module searches the information to identify at least one from a group including an USBN number, a Universal Product Number, a Universal Product Code and a proper noun, the receiving module to add catalog information to the item information.

17. The system of claim 12, further including a classification engine to determine at least one domain to register to the item information, wherein the domain includes any one from a group including a product type and a service type.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the rule is selected from a group of rules including classification rules and inference rules.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the classification rule is utilized to associate a concept to the information to facilitate a search by a buyer.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the inference rule is utilized to infer a concept that is associated to the information to facilitate a search by a buyer.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the supplemental information includes a concept-value pair that includes a concept and a value, the concept associated with a plurality of values that include the value.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein processing module evaluates classification information associated to the information to infer inference information.

23. A machine readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive information, from a seller, that is associated with an item;

evaluate the information with a rule that includes an expression and supplemental information;

if the expression evaluates true, supplement the information with the supplemental information; and

store the information and the supplemental information in a data resource, wherein the machine evaluates, supplements, and stores in real time to facilitate a search of the item information and the supplemental information in real time.

24. A system, the system including:

a first means for receiving information, from a seller, that is associated with an item; and

a second means for evaluating the information with a rule that includes an expression and supplemental information for supplementing the information if the expression evaluates true, the second means for storing the information and the supplemental information in a data resource, the evaluating, supplementing, and storing performed in real time to facilitate a search of the information and the supplemental information in real time.

25. A method to generate a query to search a data resource utilized by a seller and a buyer that transact an item in a network-based marketplace, the method including:

receiving a keyword query, from a buyer, that includes at least one keyword;

evaluating the at least one keyword with at least one rule that includes an expression and classification information; and

if the expression evaluates true, including the classification information in the query, wherein the classification information is utilized to search supplemental information stored in the data resource, the supplemental information generated from information that is entered by the seller.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the information includes at least one of a group including a title, a description, a listing category, an item specific, a price, a selling format, a selling duration, an auction duration, a payment method, shipping information, an item location, and buyer requirements.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the item specific describes the condition of an item to be transacted on the network-based marketplace.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the classification information includes a value that matches the keyword.

29. The method of claim 25, further including determining a domain by evaluating the at least one keyword with a rule that includes an expression and is associated with the domain.

30. A system to generate a query to search a data resource utilized by a seller and a buyer that transact items in a network-based marketplace, the system including:

a computing module to receive a keyword query, from a buyer, that includes at least one keyword; and

a query generation module to evaluate the at least one keyword with at least one rule that includes an expression and classification information, the query generation module to include the classification information in the query if the expression evaluates true, the classification information utilized to search supplemental information stored in the data resource, the supplemental information generated from item information that is entered by the seller.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the information includes at least one of a group including a title, a description, a listing category, an item specific, a price, a selling format, a selling duration, an auction duration, a payment method, shipping information, an item location, and buyer requirements.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the item specific describes the condition of an item to be transacted on the network-based marketplace.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the classification information includes a value that matches the keyword.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the query generation module determines a domain by evaluating the at least one keyword with a rule that includes an expression and is associated with the domain.

35. A machine readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive a keyword query, from a buyer, that includes at least one keyword;

evaluate the at least one keyword with at least one rule that includes an expression and classification information; and

if the expression evaluates true, including the classification information in the query, wherein the classification information is utilized to search supplemental information stored in the data resource, the supplemental information generated from information that is entered by the seller.